


A Cold Night in Hell

by sksdwrld



Series: Asterisk [11]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Denial, Gen, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-24
Updated: 2014-01-24
Packaged: 2018-01-09 21:45:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1151152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sksdwrld/pseuds/sksdwrld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Denial:  not just a long river in Egypt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Cold Night in Hell

Jude leaned against the door jamb between the kitchen and the living room, snorted, and shook his head.

Christina, who was unwrapping dishes from the newspaper they'd been packed in looked over at him. "What?"

"Elliot," Jude said by way of explanation with another shake of his head.

Christina wiped her hands on her jeans and leaned past Jude in order to see what he already could: Elliot sprawled on the couch, asleep, and the cat, happily purring on his chest. Christina's hair tickled Jude's face and he batted it away. She turned, coralling her hair to one side as she giggled. "Leave him alone, it's been a long day."

"I fucking know it. You had more shit than I thought. My arms are killing me."

"Poor baby," Christina crooned, giving his biceps a brief but vigorous rub. Then she gave his left shoulder a rough slap. "You can handle it. What is it you say?"

"Uh...suck it up buttercup?" Jude offered, eyes on her as she returned to the sink.

"Yeah, that's it."

"Thanks, Chris. I borrow my dad's truck, drive down here and spend the day moving you to fucking Jersey of all places and a guy can't even get a little sympathy where it's due..." Jude rolled his eyes but he had a smile on his face.

"Hey, I bought you pizza!" Christina said, half turning and gesturing toward the table where the box was open with half a pie inside. There was another empty box beneath it.

"No beer though," Jude teased.

"Elliot doesn't like it and I don't need half a pack sitting in my fridge for a month..." Christina crumpled up the newspapers and stuffed them into an over-full trash bag in the corner and then started running water in the sink. "Hey, if you're not going to eat that, can you wrap it and stick it in the fridge?"

"It's fine out all night," Jude said. "Leave it on the stove, I'll eat it for breakfast."

"Jude..." she sighed and squeezed some soap into the sink.

"Okay, okay. Where'd you put the Saran-wrap?"

"It's up there," she gestured toward the cabinet above her head with a handful of bubbles.

Jude reached up to pull the doors open, deliberately bumping into her and shoving her over the sink. "Oops, sorry."

"Jerk!" Christina joked, turning with a handful of bubbles and smearing them on Jude's chin.

He laughed and wiped them off in the crook of his arm. "You love me."

She only scoffed and went back to doing the dishes.

"Damn," Jude said, stacking the pizza slices and using way more of the saran-wrap than his grandmother ever would have before plunking the whole mess on one of the bare shelves in the fridge.

"No beer, no _love_ , way to make a guy feel appreciated."

"The liquor cabinet is over there if you feel you must," she pointed to another countertop where a cardboard box had myriad of bottles in it.

"Well, since you offered..." Jude sauntered over to have a look, pulling one bottle up and then another. "You don't even drink. Why do you have this stuff? You should dump it."

Christina lifted one shoulder and let it drop. After a moment, she asked, "Did you want a glass? I haven't cleaned them yet."

"Naw, I'll just pour it in my soda bottle." Jude hefted a bottle of vodka and carried it to the table along with a deck of cards that for some reason had also been in the box. He carefully topped off his bottle before returning the vodka to the box. "I'd be happy to take this off your hands for you when I go..."

"I bet you would." Christina said with amusement, stacking dishes on the other side of the sink.

Jude swigged from his bottle and started to shuffle the deck of cards he'd found, bridging them together over and over, finding satisfaction in the feel and the sound of them as they leafed back together. He and Christina continued their banter and when he finished his drink, Jude got up to dry the dishes and put them away, because otherwise, Christina would be there all night.

Jude looked over at Christina and their fingers brushed as she handed him a bowl. She smiled at him and he swallowed, fumbling and nearly dropping the dish. He flushed and swore and she eyed him.

"You break it, you bought it."

"Right," he grinned and waved the bowl at her before putting it in the cabinet. "S'all good."

They finished up the bowls and plates and Christina turned toward another box. Jude groaned. "C'mon, Chris. It's late. We can finish up in the morning."

"I just want to get it done..." she said. "No one's making you stay up."

"I'm not tired, I'm bored!" He whined. "I want you to entertain me!"  
"Entertain yourself..." Christina grinned.

Jude's eyes widened. "Right here in the kitchen?"

"Gross..." she rolled her eyes and went back to pulling cups from the box.

Jude made a face and reached over, tugging the plug from the drain. The water glugged and gurgled as it spun down the pipes.

"Jude!" she said in exasperation. "You can be such a child."

"Yeah, well...you're too much of an adult."

"Someone's gotta be a grown-up around here." Christina chided.

"It doesn't always gotta be you though," Jude said, tugging her away from the counter. Christina flustered him away so he returned, this time digging his fingertips into her ribcage. "Lighten up, would you?"

Christina squealed and tried to squirm away but he blocked the way with his knee and pulled her against him, tickling her even more. She screamed with laughter and threw herself back against him, pushing with all of her might. In turn, Jude braced his legs and leaned forward, easily thwarting her efforts.

"Jude! Stop it, Jude!" She giggled breathlessly. "We're gonna wake up Elliot..."

Jude's fingers slowed their assault and then stopped altogether. "Well, we wouldn't want that," he murmured into her hair which was brushing his face again. Instead of pushing it away this time though, he tipped his face into it, breathing her in. Her back was heaving against him as she caught her breath and the feel of it, the feel of _her_ was doing things to him. Jude dropped a kiss onto her shoulder and she stiffened, catching him off guard when she shoved against him again. He stumbled back and she turned around.

"What the hell, Jude?" She looked angry.

"What?"

"What the hell was that?"

Jude blinked and frowned as something inside him sank. "What the hell, what, Chris? You've been flirting with me all damn day."

She laughed with astonishment. "Oh my God, I have not. This is how we are, Jude. We joke..."

"You put your hand on my leg in the truck," Jude argued defensively.

"By accident!" Christina said. "The three of us were smashed together. There was hardly any room. God, Jude, did you really think I've been hitting on you all along?"

His face flooded with heat and he looked away. "Not all along..."

A nervous laugh bubbled out of her. "You're drunk..."

"I'm not," Jude said, even though he was, a little. It made him bold where he might have otherwise had the sense to shut up. "I like you...I think I only just realized."

"What about Kate?" Christina challenged.

Jude shrugged. "It's just for fun. She's going to Maryland in the fall. She doesn't want to do the long-distance thing."

"What about..." Christina licked her lips and folded her arms across her chest. "What about Jay?"

Jude snorted. "What about him?"

"He would kill you," Christina threatened.

"You say that," he replied. "I'm not scared of him."

"You should be..." she replied. "What about-"

"What about you? Jude interrupted.

Christina scoffed. "What about me?"

"I think you like me too."

"I don't," Christina sighed. "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression, but really I don't."

"Then you're a tease!" Jude wasn't sure why he was so upset, other than that he'd embarrassed the hell out of himself.

"Then I'm a tease..." Christina said quietly.

"Shit."

"It's okay. You know what? We'll just forget it ever happened."  
"I won't forget." Jude took a step backwards, putting more distance between them. "I'm gonna go."

"What? Go where?"

"Home. Elliot can take the train back," he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and threw all of his cash on the table. With his other hand, he yanked the keys from his pocket.

"You've been drinking," Christina pointed out.

"I'm fine."

Christina reached for him but he turned and walked away from her. "You're not. Jude! Don't be stupid." She hurried after him, reaching around for the keys.

He yanked his arm away from her, walking past Elliot who was just coming awake, blinking between him and Chris, trying to figure out what was going on. Jude got as far as opening the door when Christina grabbed him with both hands and flung him backward. He tripped this time and ended up on his back in the middle of the living room floor.

Christina dropped down beside him, punched him in the chest, and grabbed the keys out of his hand. "Fuck you, Jude. I'm not going through this again. Not for you. Grow the fuck up, you asshole." Then she climbed to her feet, stuffing the keys in her pocket.

"What's going on?" Elliot asked in confusion.

"Nothing!" Jude and Christina replied in tandem.  
Elliot's eyebrows went up.

Ignoring him, Christina glared down at Jude for another minute. "You gonna go somewhere tonight?"

Silently, Jude shook his head. Christina stepped over him with a shake of her head and went back into the kitchen. "Unbelievable."


End file.
